Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ceilings and recently upgraded bathrooms. Its restaurant is a tad touristy, but the food is
excellent, making best use of the local truffles and other seasonal produce.
Palazzo Seneca
( 074 381 74 34;
www.palazzoseneca.com
; Via Cesare Battisti 12; s €105-155, d €130-245, ste
€300-700; )
Sometimes you truly feel like you live in a palace, even just for a night
or two. Perhaps it's as you play chess in an leather chair in front of the fireplace or maybe
it's with a soothing Thai massage in the subterranean spa. In family hands since 1850,
Palazzo Seneca gives guests a tantalising glimpse of the high life.
Four-poster beds and marble bathrooms meld seamlessly with ancient stone walls and
oak floors, and the accompanying Ristorante Vespasia is a gourmet delight. See the web-
site of special themed packages, covering everything from cookery classes to truffle hunt-
ing.
HISTORIC HOTEL
€€€
TRATTORIA
€€
Trattoria dal Francese
( 074 381 62 90; Via Riguardati 16; meals €30; Sat-Thu)
Maybe it's its presence in many of
the Italian 'best restaurant' guides that keeps this trattoria permanently packed (and often
turning away custom when other places are struggling for trade) or perhaps it's the quality
of the food, which is a cut above even for this renowned foodie town. It's in Norcia, so ex-
pect a menu packed with piggy products (salami, ham, sausages), truffles and cheese.
Ristorante Vespasia
( 074 381 74 34;
www.palazzoseneca.com
; Via Cesare Battisti 10; meals €55-110; daily)
Set in a
16th-century
palazzo,
the elegantly simple furnishings complement the understated gour-
met cuisine. Try excellent homemade pasta with truffles or porcini mushrooms, or locally
grown saffron to accompany risotto and local pork. Herbs come from its own garden. In
warmer months, dine in the garden to jazz or blues.
UMBRIAN
€€€
Information
Casa del Parco
( 074 382 81 73;
www.sibillini.net
;
Piazza San Benedetto; 9.30am-12.30pm &
3.30-6.30pm)
Has tourist information about the area, including Monti Sibillini.
Getting There & Around
Buses run to and from Spoleto (€6, 50 minutes, seven daily) and Perugia (€8.50, two
hours, one daily).
